One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America

One Nation Under God examines the origins of America's religious identity and challenges the assumption that the United States has always considered itself a Christian nation. Author Kevin M. Kruse traces the development of "Christian America" to the 1930s and 1940s, when business leaders strategically promoted Christianity as a counterforce to the New Deal. The book documents how corporate interests partnered with religious leaders, politicians, and advocacy groups to link Christianity with free-market capitalism and limited government. Through campaigns, publicity stunts, and the creation of new traditions like prayer breakfasts, these alliances worked to associate patriotism with Protestant Christianity in the public mind. Kruse analyzes key figures including Dwight Eisenhower, Billy Graham, and lesser-known but influential business and religious leaders who shaped this movement. The narrative follows their efforts through the 1950s as phrases like "under God" entered the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" became the national motto. This historical account reveals how modern American religious nationalism emerged not organically but through deliberate campaigns backed by economic and political interests. The book raises questions about the intersection of faith, capitalism, and national identity that remain relevant to current debates.

Readers consistently note the book's detailed research into how business leaders and religious figures collaborated to link Christianity with free-market capitalism in 1950s America. What readers liked: - Clear documentation of the creation of "Under God" in the Pledge and "In God We Trust" on currency - Examination of corporate funding behind religious initiatives - Accessible writing style for a complex historical topic What readers disliked: - Some felt it focused too heavily on the 1950s period - Several noted redundancy in later chapters - A few challenged the author's interpretations of historical figures' motivations Review Scores: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (580+ ratings) Common reader comment: "Eye-opening look at how modern American religious identity was deliberately constructed" - Goodreads reviewer Critical comment: "Well-researched but occasionally overstates the corporate influence" - Amazon reviewer

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🔷 Author Kevin M. Kruse traces the phrase "In God We Trust" on American currency back to the Eisenhower administration in 1956, not to the nation's founding as many believe. 🔷 The book reveals how business leaders and conservative clergymen formed an alliance in the 1930s to combat FDR's New Deal, promoting a new brand of "Christian libertarianism." 🔷 The National Prayer Breakfast, which continues today, was established in 1953 by Methodist minister Abraham Vereide and businessman Conrad Hilton specifically to promote faith-based free enterprise. 🔷 Reverend Billy Graham played a crucial role in popularizing the mixture of Christianity and capitalism, receiving significant financial support from conservative business leaders throughout his career. 🔷 The book demonstrates that the term "under God" wasn't added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954, during the height of the Cold War, as part of a broader movement to differentiate America from "godless communism."